$950,000 Homes in Louisiana, California and Oregon

Alexandria, La.

WHAT An 1898 Victorian with five bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half bathrooms

HOW MUCH $949,900

SIZE 5,147 square feet

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT $185

SETTING The home is in the Garden District of Alexandria, a city on the Red River in central Louisiana. The historic neighborhood of about 12 square blocks has many fine houses and is a five- to 10-minute drive from downtown.

INDOORS The current owners transformed the kitchen into a large, light-filled gathering place. The addition has slate floors, a glass wall overlooking the garden and swimming pool, and multiple seating areas, including a long breakfast bar and a hangout space described as a keeping room.

The rest of the house is more typically Victorian, with large, self-contained, high-ceilinged rooms and a wealth of bay windows and polished hardwood floors. The main level has a formal dining room with a fireplace (one of five); a formal parlor; a living room; and a media room that the owners, having raised four sons in the house, refer to as the “man room.”

Upstairs are five large bedrooms (two of which connect) and three full bathrooms. The largest bathroom has double vanities, a soaking tub and a separate shower.

OUTDOOR SPACE The 1.6-acre property is studded with old magnolia and elm trees and has a vegetable garden surrounded by a white picket fence. Next to the in-ground swimming pool and hot tub is a pool house with a fireplace, a grill, a sound system, a half bathroom and an outdoor shower. A detached three-car garage has a walk-up attic.

Sacramento

WHAT A midcentury-modern house with three bedrooms, three bathrooms and an in-ground swimming pool

HOW MUCH $949,900

SIZE 2,515 square feet

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT $378

SETTING The 1959 stucco home is in Sacramento’s upscale Sierra Oaks neighborhood, two blocks from the American River, with its more than 30 miles of cycling paths. It is less than 10 minutes from the Pavilions, a luxury shopping center, and is close to major hospitals.

INDOORS Designed by Carter Sparks, a local architect, the house has a variety of living, dining and entertainment areas in a large, open room with bamboo floors and a beamed vaulted ceiling. A double-face chimney and a slatted partition visually divide the space. On one side is a kitchen with maple cabinets, quartz countertops and stainless-steel appliances, as well as a seating area with built-in cabinets and a wet bar flanking the brick fireplace. On the other side, the fireplace has a copper hood and there is room for a formal dining table.

The single-story home has three bedrooms, including a master suite. A bonus room with a built-in wall unit and an en-suite bathroom can be used as a home office or a semiprivate guest room.

OUTDOOR SPACE All rooms at the back of the house open onto a long deck, taking advantage of Sacramento’s temperate climate and the modernist emphasis on indoor/outdoor living. The quarter-acre property also includes an in-ground swimming pool, a patio and an attached two-car garage.

Portland, Ore.

WHAT A 1982 house with four bedrooms, four bathrooms and an attached two-car garage

HOW MUCH $925,000

SIZE 3,282 square feet

PRICE PER SQUARE FOOT $282

SETTING The house is in the Green Hills neighborhood, about 10 minutes from downtown Portland. Built high on a slope, it has expansive windows that offer views of the surrounding trees and a seasonal glimpse of Mount St. Helens.

INDOORS The dramatic living room has a vaulted, paneled ceiling and rosewood floors. On one side, sliding glass doors open onto a terrace. On the other, a fireplace is embedded in a short wall of rusticated stone and light pours in from clerestory windows above a mezzanine. The living room connects to a separate kitchen-and-dining area with updated cabinets and appliances, a wood-burning stove and access to the terrace. A spiral staircase in the dining area offers an alternate route upstairs.

Two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and balconies are below the main floor, along with a laundry room. Two additional bedrooms and bathrooms (including one with double vanities, marble floor tiles and brass fixtures) are above the main floor, on the mezzanine level.

OUTDOOR SPACE In addition to the lower-floor balconies and main-floor terrace, the house has a large enclosed patio and garden in front.